John Henry Days

John Henry Days

First edition cover
Author	Colson Whitehead
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre	Historical fiction, Novel
Publisher	Doubleday (HB) & Anchor Books (PB)
Publication date	May 15, 2001
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	400 pp (hardback edition)
ISBN	0-385-49819-5
Preceded by	The Intuitionist
Followed by	The Colossus of New York

John Henry Days is a 2001 novel by American author Colson Whitehead. This is his second full-length work.

Plot summary[]

Building the railways that made America, John Henry died with a hammer in his hand moments after competing against a steam drill in a battle of endurance. The story of his death made him a legend. Over a century later, freelance journalist J. Sutter is sent to West Virginia to cover the launch of a new postage stamp at the first John Henry Days festival.

Reception[]

Maya Jaggi, writing for The Guardian, praised John Henry Days, writing that it is "propelled by the quality of the writing and observation which, together with his serious intent, elevate it above frothier social satire."^[1] Writing in The New York Times, novelist Jonathan Franzen likened the novel to Ulysses and Moby-Dick in its "encyclopedic aspirations", but added: "John Henry Days is funny and wise and sumptuously written, but it's only rarely a page turner."^[2]

Honors[]

• Shortlisted for the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction^[3]
• 2002 Black Caucus of the American Library Association Literary Award for Honor Books^[4]
• Shortlisted for National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction
• Shortlisted for Los Angeles Times Book Prize

References[]

External links[]

• John Henry Days Discussion Guide

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